Automatically-closing door



Jan. 19 1926.

IND.

} M. COPE AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING noon Filed April 20, 1925: v

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:mluu I W CWQ'IINVENTOR;

ATTORNEY- Patentedj ,19,264

g.'AnmoMATrehLLY-oi osme 1 1 Applicationfiled ApriliZQQ1925L SerialNo;'21,587.v

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, citizen of the United States,- residing at Kingsleyiin the County; offlymouth and 5 State of Iowa, have inventedcertaimnewanduseful Improvements inAutomatically-f- 7 Closing Doors, of-ijwhich'the 'followinglisaa specification; i

This invention: relates to automatically 19 closing doorsor gatesadapted particularly; for-use in connectionlwith animal'-houseses t 7The invention will-lbe best-understood from a fconsideration; of. thefollowing 'de pecially-hog housespr-igl: The primaryobject ,of; thisinvention is the provision, in f a manner as: hereinafter 7 set forth,of; an,automaticallyblosing door for animal houses, so constructed; thatthe animal can open the same with its noseor, snout and force its-waytherethrough; the door closing behind 'the -animalyafter the 20 same haspassed through. v I

Another object of the invention is the. rovision, .in a manner ashereinafter set I orth, of an automatically closing. door having asmaller closure means connected therewith whereby asmall animal maypassv through the doorway withoutfhaving', 'to' 7 swing open the largedoor. I I

; The invention. contemplates the provision.

of a door formedof two panels, each panel a, having a suspendingmemberwhich mem bers are supported from a commonpoint above thedoorway in sucha manner-that the panels will naturally gravitate "toward one anotherand normally remainwith1theirabutting edges together 'across a dooropening. The lower inner corner of each of the" panels iscut away andktoeach ofthepanels above thefcutawayportion there is' pivot ally secured asmaller panel whichgsmaller'f panels are also in contacting edgeopposedrelation when the doors are closedito coverg; the cut awaylowencorner of the larger panel. vA small animal desiring to I pass 1through the doorway which the l arger panels guard,; can .with itssnout, moveorv spread open thel two [smaller panels which f cover thecut, away portion; in the larger panel and ass rthrough the doorwaywithe out disturbingr'the, ,lar'geripanels of the'door, i f

A larger animal will, with vit sf mouth, {force apart-the two largerpanels and as his body; is forced therebe'tween will cause the same toswing lfaterallyzto allow for the passage MAURIQE Corn, a

i 'closingwthei doorway to the'hut or Ola aim us a; timehi-lipase;therethrough the! panels will gravitate back "nnumonoorngrorl'nvesnnYgIowa? {f untilfjthe'ir inner edges are inccontact-for.

vision,- in a manner as hereinafter set forth,

:through I Ewhatever the doorwayis formed .v 5

, r A final Object ofthisinventionis the pro y iv vofautomaticallyclosingzdoor-.which-will I be of simple construction,strongv and-dur I i f Irable,, in'expensive 'to manufacture, and

easilygpla'cedc into 1 position. 7

taile'dQdescription taken in connection with that'ithe invention isfnotconfined to any drawing; but: may be Echanged and :modifiedtheaccompanying-drawing forming'a part 0f this specification, {with theunderstanding strict conformity wlthithe showin j o theqp "z so, long ias such 7 changes and modifications I I mark-no material departurefroin'the salient feat'ur'es of the invention, as expressed in the:appendedclaims; p, Inlthe drawingsif. a I a V I Figure 1 shows inelevation thedevice 1 embodyingthis invention in the; position 'Whi'cli,it; will'ass'ume'when an: animal is passing thereth'rough.-i, I Figure2' shows the gate, closed.

Whil'e'the-infventionhas been shown as appliedfto an animalhouse it isto be'und er- I stood, however,that*the sameis not confined' to sueh'ls', but maybe applied to; a fence' 'or;any"other'place where thedevicewill be Shim-mes 1 a Pa 0f normal-1 y; vertical rec- ,tangularanels3,each of whi h hasiextendjp :ingfIOI'n the top thereof h g .stmpifl;,:.-;1 The door embodying this .in ventioncon lj the upperends of whichstraps are intur' n'ed f at right'an'gles 5"and -overlapp'ed and pi'votv ally secured-above-th'e center of the doorway 3 .2 byeaqpivotjboltfi.ima e-amiss due to the: I manneig' ifi' they are, supported jlwi-llnormally hang vertically as shown in Figure 2 with the inner edgesthereof abutting as shown.

The lower inner corner of each of the panels 3 adjacent the innersideecl ge-t-l 1ereof and just above the cut away portions, is aswinging flap member 9 pivoted: at the-point- 10, and these flap members9 have inner normally abutting edgesrol-ledf as at ll. to the. manner inwhich theflaps 9 are hu'ng they'will. normally hang in such a positionthat the inner edges are in abutment as shown in Figure 2', thus'closingthepassage 8 throughithe-lowerporti'on of'th'e panels 3.

Adaptedto'be securedacross the face of the housesl. and" also to overliethe lower-portion ofvthe panels 3, is an arcuate guide member 12,theends 13 of which are inset and secured to the house as is shown, thusraising the portion intermediate the ends in such-a manner thatthe'panels canslide he' tween the inner face thereof-and the. outer faceof thehouse. Thus, an animal coming out ofthe house will. not forcethepanels outward-11y as they would do if the guidemembers- 12 were not"employed.

From the foregoing'it will be seen that when: an animal, such asa pig,wishes to enter the house 2, he will, if heis a small pig, forceapartthe fiaps9 at the-flower'p'on tion of the panels 3 swinging'them toone side and thus making room'- forithe ipassage of his body through theopening 8 in -the lower" portion of the'panels- When the animalhas-passed through 2 the-:fiap will fall back to place and thus close''thedoor.

small flaps 9 with his snout and after the snout has been extendedthroughthe opening 8. further pressure thereof againsttheedges7 of the:panelsiwi'll cause'thepanels 3 to swing. laterally" and thusallow theanimal to pass throughthe op ening 2 as indicated: in Figure 1 From theforegoing desc'tiptioniit willbe readily seen: that there has b'ee'nprovided a uniqueand :effective' animal house closure which willbeastrong: and durable, effectivein keeping; the house: closed,andi'easily built and applied;

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In ai-device of'the characterset forth,

a closurezcomprisin'ga pair of panels,- means for pivot-allysupportingrsaid panels I in a manner to cause theme to: gravitatetowards each otheri to: close: anentranee, and means whereby-an animal:may cause said anels to swing apart for/passage througlr' said:entrance; saldhlastx mentioned means further:

Due

If the animal is .alargeione; he 'can: start the movement of: the panels3 by opening-atheeach other to close an entrance, said. panels eachhaving its lower inner corner cut away to provide a small entrance whensaid panels arein' contact, and shiftable elements car-- ried by saidpanels and normally closing said small entrance and further operatableby a small animal'to uncover said small entrance for passage through'theclosure.

3. In a device of thecharacter set forth,

a closure comprising a pair of panels in edge abutting contact to closean entrance, a supporting strap-for each panel, a strap having its upperends inturned, a pivot member common to and extending through saidinturned ends, and a guide means over-- lying the lower end of saidpanel to main tain the same in position.

4. In a device of the character set forth, a closure comprising apair'of panels'in edge abutting contact to close an entrance, each panelhaving its lower inner corner cut away to set, when the'panels areabutting, a small passage through theclosure, a supporting strap foreach panel, each strap hav ing its upper end inturned, a pivot membercommon to and-extending through said inturned end, and a flap pivoted toeach panel above and covering said cut away portions, said flap normallydepending in edge to edge contact to cover said small passage.

5 In:- a deviceof the character set forth, a closure comprisinga" air ofpanelsin edge abuttingcontact to close an entrance, each panel havingits lower inner corner cut away to setg'w'vheflth'e panelsare abutting;a small passage" through the closure, a supporting strap'for each panel,each strap having its upper end inturn'ed, a pivot member common to andextending throughsaid inturned end, a flap pivoted to'ea'ch panel aboveanclmcovering said cut away portions; said" flap normally depending inedge to edge contact to cover saidsmalf passage, and means over lyingthe lower ends of said panels for guidingthe'same';

61 A device of' the character described, comprising a closure member,having one lower corner thereof cutaway, a suspension element'swing-ingly' "supporting the; same before an entrance, a hanging flap,pivotedflto" ture hereto; 7

MAURIG'E COPE.

